My Daughter Coughs, What to Do?

Hello E. -

Often times kids cough because they have eaten too close to bedtime and the food in the stomach is rising up into the esophagus after they lie down, which irritates it and makes them cough. Try feeding your kids earlier, so that they have 3 hours to digest before going to bed. Also, meats and dairy take considerably longer to break down and cause the stomach to become very acidic. Making dinnertime more of a vegetable meal can be helpful in getting their food from their tummies into the bowel before bed, so that the stomach is empty by the time they are snoozing.

There are also greta clay water products out there (Sonnes makes my favorite one) that your child can take a drink of before bed to neutralize any acid in their belly and prevent it from rising up into the esophagus. The clay soaks up the acid and is very quickly moved into the small intestine.

There are many other potential causes for your child's cough, but this is one of the most common and the one that most often goes undetected for months/years on end. If the abovementioned suggestions don't resolve it then checking your house for irritants would be next on my list - are the heat ducts clean? Do you have mold growing in window sills or bathtubs? Have you recently purchased a new mattress, carpet, paint, shower curtain?

Let us know how it proceeds and I will gladly provide more suggestions based on what you are finding as you work with it.

Be well-
D.

I had very minor "cold and excercise induced asthma," not diagnosed until I was 20-ish (despite being an athlete ... note that "excercise induced" part? yeah).

As a kid I had nighttime cough, and one child (so far?) sometimes does it.

I slept with a blanket or a sheet over my head (still do sometimes, although asthma rare now). This produces moisture (which you've already figured out) and WARMTH, which keeps the airways from spasming in the colder nighttime air.

It has something to do with laying down, too--maybe this post-nasal-drip thing somebody mentions. Since I've cut mucous-causers from my diet, less problems ...

The other thing I'll just hand you, I knew a woman once who was Catholic and WAYYYYY out on the spiritual sensitivity side. She said asthma and allergies are a spirit of Fear. I am also Catholic, and her language made sense to me, not sure if it will to others ... but I heard that, and was all, "Well, that's dumb, I'll let go of that fear, I'll not let it grip onto me anymore" ... and my asthma is now very minor or absent (stress can get me to forgetting to not fear).

You know, if you were looking for non-medical fixes ;).

The child can also benefit from chest rubs of tea tree oil or peppermint oil. Both should be diluted in olive or sesame oil, and remember to do a patch test first to determine sensitivity. Inhaling the vapors of the essential oil of lavendar, and/or a warm bath that includes lavendar oil, can also help clear a cough. Cut back or eliminate dairy products in children that have a lot of mucous with their coughs, as dairy often adds to the production of mucous.

FROM THIS SITE: http://www.naturalark.com/children.html

I think you should take her to the doctor. A persistent cough like that should be looked at.

A first step, however, is to see if she may be responding to something in her room, if she only coughs at night. You might check out her room to make sure it is clean and dust-free, vacuum, remove stuffed animals and plants, make sure her bedding is thoroughly washed, all that good stuff that you probably already tried, but worth mentioning in case she has a dust allergy. do you have a pet that sleeps in her room? try having her sleep without it.

Also sometimes humidifiers can get moldy from all the water. Maybe try having her sleep without the humidifier.

Two things that come to mind right away with this symptom are mild asthma, and GERD (esophageal reflux), both of which can cause a night time cough in an otherwise healthy child.

Believe it or not, I've known two different moms in the last year that had little girls ages 2-4 with Reflux where the only indication was a wierd cough. I would have her tested, especially because it's happening when she lays down.

Way to go to trying out differnt ways other than medicine. There are so few out there that do that. (I'm guilty of not being one of them). So my story for you is...My son is a healthy boy he is almost 3. he had gotten RSV at 6 months old and this can cause lung problems that can last until age 12. Why that is I am not sure. Anyway my son was coughing hard,every night all night. And when playing hard like boys do would have just a bit of trouble breathing. I went to 2 doctors about it and turns out is is asthma. Which a child that young can grow out of, but then may not. Its not a bad asthma problem but enough that the asthma medication keeps him from coughing at night. He isnt on one of the steriod medicines though. I guess just see, take her to the doctor maybe and see what they think. It could be something else depending on the sound of the cough. I hope she gets better! I feel for my son when he has those coughing fits too because I know how terrible it is to get horrible sleep at night.

We went through this EXACT thing with my daughter, now 10, when she was 7. Nothing would work, she wasn't sick, but the cough at night was insane. After months of attempts at treatment and investigation, it turns out she has cough-variant asthma. Cough-variant asthma is a type of asthma in which the main symptom is a dry, non-productive cough. People with cough-variant asthma (or CVA) often have no other “classic” asthma symptoms, such as wheezing or shortness of breath. Ask your pediatrician about it -- my daughter finally got the diagnosis after seeing an Allergy and Asthma specialist. She even got the skin tests for allergies and has none. It took a couple of months of treatment with inhalers to get the cough to disappear, but she's perfectly fine now. She takes her inhaler once a day when she gets a cold -- as that appears to be the trigger for her. Once her symptoms are gone, she's done with the inhaler.

I hope this helps! I know how frustrating the coughing can be -- it kept our whole family sleep-deprived for a long time!

Could be allergies or asthma, but my daughter coughs more during the winter months, and both were ruled out. She's just "sensitive", apparently. (She also has a tendency to eczema.)

Hi E.. I wonder if she has reflux? Try cutting out acidic foods in the evening and propping her up a bit.
S.

E., Does she wheeze or ever appear to have difficulty breathing? I realize you don't prefer modern medicine, which I respect, but I would think you would want to rule out asthma. If she had an asthma attach and it went untreated, it could be fatal. I don't want to scare you, but I have members of my family with asthma, and just knowing you have the proper medication helps you sleep better at night. Our son has had some asthma symptoms so we have an albuteral inhaler. We've only had to use it 3 times, but it has opened his airway and stopped the coughing immediately. I think as a Mom, the unknown is very difficult to deal with. Which is why I'm sure you are asking about it. Our children are precious gifts, it may just give a peace of mind having a doctor check her out.

J. D

I'm curious about why you believe your daughter has no allergies. Has she been tested? If not, that might be a valuable thing to try. If it turns out that she is sensitive to specific allergens, you will be have the information you need to make helpful changes yourself. Drugs don't necessarily have to be part of the solution.

You can even "test" informally for certain allergens by just making sure they are nowhere near your daughter's bed for a week or so, and see whether she responds.

I have been allergic to just about everything and anything since birth, including many medications, so I avoid them. My sleep has never been great, but it's considerably worse if any dust builds up in my bedroom, when wheezing, coughing, sneezing and apnea take over my nights.

I shake blankets and pound pillows outside frequently, and can't endure any sort of fragrance or chemical smells in the laundry: I wash with various combinations of unscented "natural" detergent, baking soda, borax, and non-chlorine bleach based on hydrogen peroxide. Feather or down pillows and comforters are a real problem for me. Any clothing that might have picked up pet fur stays away from my bedroom. I run an air filter during various pollen seasons, or any time the air is questionable.

It probably sounds like a lot of bother, but sleep is precious! MIght be worth investigating further.

If it happens mainly when she is laying down, it could be "silent" reflux, or as some mentioned, post-nasal drip or asthma.

Our DD has silent reflux and the only signs are a cough when she sleeps, and some coughing sometimes when she gets excited (running around or laughing).

Hi E....
So many responses!! Wow...
Well, one of them was from a dear friend of mine, Diana S. I do have a 3 1/2 year old that was diagnosed with chronic acid reflux/GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease.) She's had more coughs and colds than the rest of our family put together. Both of my girls eat extremely healthy meals with the occasional candy (of course.) They are very active in gymnastics and dance and all that little girls love to do.
Here's how it all started in our house.
About a year ago, my daughter would start with mild coughs and then it would become sinus/ear infections and sometimes the ever fun bronchitis. It would clear up with antibiotics, but after a while the cough would come back. Most of it was basic post nasal drip. But after humidifiers and decongestants, lots of fluids, etc, it just kept returning. Every time they tested her lung capacity to see if she had asthma, but never confirmed. Finally, my doctor (a family practitioner) sent us to a pediatric allergist. Thinking that this was going to be cut and dry and find out what was causing her allergies, my daughter (not quite 3 yrs old at the time remember) sat patiently (!) and singing while going thru the whole 36 batch test of allergens. She even happily endured giving 10cc of blood from her arm telling the nurses in a happy tone "Hey, I see my blood. Do you see my blood?" Her tests all confirmed that she has NO allergies. Not even dust. Kids are amazing!
The pediatric allergist immediately said that she would bet her practice that it was reflux/GERD. So we went thru a whole big test for that, and guess what? Yep...to my shock. Not 4 hours after the test we were told that it was so chronic that there was a prescription of Prevacid waiting for her and she needed to be on it immediately.
What have we learned? That the same signs for the common cold are exactly the same as a acid reflux. I will say one thing, our daughter would tell us that she had "little throw ups." Granted hearing this from a 2 year old, we thought she had hiccups and that was how she would verbalize it. Were we shocked to learn that it really is little throw ups.
Tried and true life savers for us are:
1. lift the head of the bed
2. No food or drinks 2-3 hours before bedtime.
3. No dairy after 5. Unless she takes her prevacid or 1/2 a tums...and yes they are okay for kids if used occasionally not daily. It gives them calcium if anything.
4. Limit hard physical activity after dinner and before naps and bedtime.
5. Oh, and NO acidic foods if we see signs of a flare up. This includes her all favorites: oranges, OJ, lemonade, and tomatoes. (she loves cherry tomatoes.)
There are other tips if you google "GERD", but the one site that I found that helped that was NOT sponsored by a drug company was:
http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/default.htm
Good luck. This is just my story of my daughter's cough. I would HIGHLY suggest you do a daily digest of what she eats and her activities for about a week. If the cough persists and gets worse, take the digest with you and see the doctor. It couldn't hurt. Also trust that mother's instinct.
And please let us know how things go. I'll send good thoughts to you!!
Take care
A. B

Sounds like it could be many things. My only suggestion would be go see a peditrician. A tip regarding the humidifier...my peditrician advised me if I plan to use a humidifier make sure is occasionally not on a regular basis as it will cause mold in your home. If your child does have asthma the mold will make it worse. Just make sure your checking for mold. Good luck.

E.,

I'm a nurse and Arbonne consultant and believe me, I prefer the natural healing that Arbonne offers for skin care! However, my youngest daughter had the same problem for several years, to the point it began to affect her behavior in school and home. She was so tired all the time because the coughing would keep her up at night. I finally asked my pediatrician for help and he gave her zyrtec. Once daily was the dosing, however we do about 1 time a week now. Her's is post-nasal drip. Only happens at night because she is lying down and the "drip" gets to her throat and fortunately causes her to cough rather than aspirate. We only need it now a couple of times each month during "allergy" seasons. It's really been a blessing for her. Hope this helps! And wow you sounds busy! You should check out Arbonne! Gives me amazing time with my kids even with working as a nurse.

When my 6 yo daughter was coughing a lot at night I asked around and someone told me to put vicks rub on the bottoms of her feet and then put her sox on when I put her to bed. Amazingly enough it worked. I'm not sure why it works or if it only works for specific kinds of coughs, but it doesn't hurt to try. Good Luck!!

My daughter is now 8 but she had/has this same issue. I know you're not into modern medicine...I completely understand. However, the only thing that worked for her was Zyrtec (5 mg). I gave it to her every day for quite a while...then I stopped to make sure we weren't medicating for a problem that was no longer there and she started the night coughing again. So, I give it to her daily for a while....then stop again...you get the idea. She is currently not taking it. The coughing is related to allergies (according to the doctor...and the medicine works). My daughter does not have any other indications of allergies...to anything. BUT I can't argue with a cough!

Does your daughter have allergies? During the day the mucus may not bother her but at night it is going down her thoat and that would cause her to cough. Your daughter could try some herbal tea with a teaspoon of honey about a hour befrore she goes to bed. She could also gargal before bed with salt water but she would have to rince her mouth out to get the salt out of her mouth. There is another remady using salean salution but I don't think your 4 year old would like it. Using a dropper of warm water(1 cup H2O, 1/2 tsp of salt)solution drop three or four drops in each nostral, massage her nose and then have her blow it. I use this on my kids and they hate it but it works very well. You also might just have to take her to a doctor. My kids are both on allergy meds, very small doses and it has helped alot. Hope this helps-Shan

She probably has asthma. That's exactly the symptom my daughter had and it turns out that coughing, especially a night, is a big sign. You should take her in to be tested at the pediatrician. For expert advice, she should probably also see an asthma/allergy specialist. Good luck!

does she sleep with her mouth open that could dry her throat even with a humidifier or maybe the humidifier is putting out too much moisture just a thought

I respect that you might not want your daughter to take medicine every night - that is a difficult decision to make. I do think, though, that you should take her to her pediatrician at the least...my son had the very same symptoms and was diagnosed with seasonal allergies. Coughing at night is also a symptom of asthma.

Good luck and I hope it's nothing serious.

Try putting Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottom of her feet before bed, then cover her feet with socks. I received an email about this awhile back and know many people who have tried this and it has proven to work really well. I am sure you can find some information about it on the web.
Hope this works for you.

From personal experience, I would definately see a pediatrician. I have asthma and so do my girls. That is one of the symptoms of asthma as well as post nasal drip. It can't hurt to see the doctor and once diagnosed, there are many homeopathic and natural remedies out there that are safe. Give the doctor a try because untreated asthma can cause many problems, even serious ones. At least get it ruled out. Good luck! :)

C.

I am an Ayurvedic Practitioner. It sounds like your daughter has a dry cough. Try a cup of warm milk (just before it breaks a boil) add 1 tsp ghee (clarified Butter) and a pinch of turmeric. Take this at night before bed. It will also help her sleep. Let me know if it works.
K.- Mom of Jonah 20 months and Leela 4 yrs

Whatever you do, do NOt use a product like "Vicks", containing "CAMPHOR" to comfort her cough. Camphor is toxic for children, but a alot of people don't know. If you do a quick search online, you will find a lot of information about it.

Also, like everyone else has said, you need to rule out asthma...and if you are using a humidifier, make sure you don't use any camphor containing products in it.

My son is four. he is very healthy. He has no allergies (he has been tested), and he had a persistent cough at night which disturbed his sleep (and mine). I was beside myself trying to figure out what was wrong. He was eventually diagnosed with asthma - which does NOT always manifest through wheezing, as we learned with my son.

He has an albuterol inhaler. And, after a couple of frantic runs to the emergency room (when he had an asthma attack while he was also sick with a cold), we were given a nebulizer to use at home when he needs an emergency breathing treatment.

I'd suggest having her tested for asthma. If she has asthma you'll know that she's struggling to breath and her body is not getting enough oxygen when she's coughing. (And this gets MUCH worse when they have any type of upper respiratory infection.)

I would try to get her to drink lots of fluids for a while and see if it gets any better. I'm no doctor or nurse... just mom to mom... that's what I would do. Lots of water has helped us in the past to get rid of a pesky cough.

I had a terrible cough myself about a month ago. I couldn't get rid of it and it seemed to be much worse at night. I had a friend tell me to rub vicks on my feet and sleep with socks on. I tried it and it worked. I know it sounds weirc, but it did work and would be worth a try.

I also read something recently about household cleaners causing children to cough so you may try eliminating cleaners (use only green ones) for a short time and see if that helps.

Good luck,

Hi. I got this e-mail about putting Vicks Vaporub on the feet but have never tried it myself. I have copied it below. Read it and try it. Hope it works...

Sorry, no graphic for this one, and don't laugh, it works 100% of the time although the scientists at the Canada Research council (who discovered it) aren't sure why.

To stop nighttime coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vicks Vaporub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime then cover with socks.

Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief.

Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.

I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children as compared to alternative therapies like accupressure. Just happened to tune in A.M. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I listened.

It was a surprising finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, and in addition, to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

Lolly tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was a deep, ( incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrollable cough, and she slept cough free for hours
every night that she used it.

So, if you have children or grandchildren, pass it on, if you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed by the effect.

Is her room warm at night? Our daughter had a similar issue until I turned the heat off in her room at night. I have no idea why it worked but you could try it. We just gave our girl some extra blankets and made her room cold. It worked.
Good luck!

Hi. I read your post and thought I should respond. Your question and concerns about a night time cough are very similar to what we were experiencing with my 8 year old son. Just like your daughter, he was coughing during the night for no apparent reason and was perfectly fine during the day. We did take him to the doctor, who said it could be an allergy or a mild form of asthma even though my son has no known allergies or asthma. He said allegeries and asthma are all lumped together in a range, so it's hard to tell, but there is a mild form of asthma that is characterized by a nighttime cough. He advised us to watch for other symptoms (like weasing, a runny nose, itchy eyes, etc.), keep the humidifier on, but do nothing else unless it interrupted his sleep or caused other issues. This was toward the end of summer and I haven't heard my son cough in several months. He continues to have no known allergies and no other signs of asthma. In fact, he is a hockey player, skating at a high level for two hours, 5 days a week -- so I was always skeptical about asthma anyway. With your daughter, it may just work itself out as well. Good luck!

Sounds like pertussis. I'd see a doctor. And yes you can get pertussis even if you are immunized.

Hello, my name is F.. If I had a 4 year old anymore and they had a cough that would not go away I would take her or him into the doctor. It is obvious there is something wrong. However when my kids were young I would use honey and garlic mix for coughs. and also hot tea non caff-with honey before bedtime. honey and lemon in tea works pretty good. hope this will help.

Hi E.,

I am not very into modern medicine either. There are several products that assist with a persistent cough that are more natural. One great one is Sambucol Junior. Also, sometimes when coughs are tough at night it can be related to other issues, like nutrition. We began 3 lac which is a probiotic and it is fantastic. It can sometimes make the symptoms a bit worse at first but then begins to soothe the issues as healing occurs. It can be frustrating to listen to I agree. Alo, a vaporizer assists many times in the cough going away if it is from dry air. We have a house that is similar and struggle with that isse too. Blessings to you. :)

K.S.

Have you taken her to her doctor? Even if you aren't into "modoren" medicine, there are homeopathic doctors. You want to rule out that she doesn't have asthma. She may also be having an alergic reaction to something in her room or bed.
D., mom of two grown boys, one who had asthma and allergies while he was growing up (as I did and suffered because my parents wouldn't treat me) but doesn't have it now,

Hi there! That's great that your using the humidifier that is pretty much the best/safe thing to use. The best humidifier is the cool mist humidifier, if your not using that kind, you may want to run out and it! Also, make sure you clean it out often. I hope this helps!!! Take care.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. We have been through some similar stuff, although our daughter does have allergies (to grass, cats and dogs). Starting at about 1 year, throughout the winter she coughed a lot at night, even when she didn't have a cold or anything. We did end up going to an allergy/asthma specialist to have her tested for allergies and for advice. You have probably already tried this, but what about elevating her bed a bit (or getting one of those wedge things or just having her try to sleep on a taller pillow). Some kids like my daughter have a lot of post-nasal drip even when not sick, and that little tickle makes them cough continuously. I would try that first, then consider seeing a specialist just to check and see if she has something going on that you guys haven't thought of.
Best wishes,
W.

I have been a Respiratory therapist for almost 15 years now, but I believe in natural medicine and prevention. So when I say you should have her checked for asthma I say it with your concerns of modern medicine in mind. Asthma can be deadly. It is a condition where the lungs react to allergines or other irritants by closing down the airways. I have seen people and children become very ill and even die because they did not take their condition seriously. Please get her checked right away. If she does have it, learn everything you can about it and watch everything she eats, drinks and breathes. I can't stress how important it is. Good Luck and take care!

My child coughed at night, too. After giving him cough medicine and trying all sorts of other remedies, it turned out to be asthma. (We had him tested for allegies, but he was negative for everything.) We have his asthma under control, but have a rescue inhaler just in case he has an attack.

try putting vicks vapor rub on her feet before bed and then put socks on, it works for my kids. good luck

my of three boys 4, 2, and 3 months

I prefer to stay away for modern medicine as well however, I have found that a professional can diagnose much faster than attempting to use trial-error. After you are able to get a diagnosis there are many options even for asthma. My daughter was diagnosed with Hashimoto's (a very rare condition) with just a wierd cough. It took 2 years to get a diagnosis and symptoms increased. There are too many possibilities out there to have any idea from what information we have to give you any good ideas.

Does she use a pillow? Maybe try elevating her head, or the head of the bed. Could be that mucous or saliva are draining down the back of her throat and causing her to cough.

Im not able to read through all your responses, so Im not sure if this on is on here..My granddaughter is 16 months and has that problem. We have had major problems with her since birth,,,believe it or not she has Acid Reflux and is on Previcid, and Malox...she was coughing because her throat was bruning ..now she gets more rest and is a Happier child,, after being diagnosed..Hope this will help.

Both of my girls did this EXACT SAME THING every single winter for years...it was infuriating! None of that OTC medicine helped anyway so don't worry that you're not trying it.

Finally my pediatrician referred me to NW Asthma & Allergy (in Renton by Ikea). I saw Dr. Ashley Tatum and she was amazing. She was able to quickly pinpoint that my younger daughter had smaller-than-normal sinuses (which will correct itself as she gets older) and we came up with a proactive regimine of keeping her "dried" out. We have had a very peaceful winter this year. She takes Singulair daily and we have Nasonex spray twice a day.

Your daugther could have some allergy or something too to something at this time of year. I would encourage you to skip the pediatrician at this point and go straight to the specialist. I wish I would have done it sooner.

Email me back if you want more information.

Good luck!

L

I've heard that taking a tsp. of honey before bedtime (brush teeth after ofcourse :)) helps chronic night-time cough. Just plain, no melting or mixing with anything. Maybe try a different humidifier, mng. a cold air one if you're using a hot air one or vice versa (or maybe none at all?). Hope this helps!

This is an old Korean remedy. Puree a peeled pear( preferably a Asian one) and then mix pure honey with it. It should have a consistancy of an oatmeal. Let that sit for overnight or all day if prepared in the morning. Then give her tablespoonful at night. I didn't believe in it before I tried it. It worked great for our kids when they had the cough while they were suffering from cold. It's totally natural way. If you can get organice ingredients, that would be better.
Good luck.

HI. :) I was recently talking with my sister (an ER nurse) about cough medicine and how the FDA isn't suggesting they be used and how we agree and we came upon a conversation about honey. She read a study about using honey to relieve cough symptoms. Honey was shown to work better than even cough medicine, which did *nothing* for kids. So, we tried it out as my kids had a virus that did the same thing to them as you describe your daughter has been experiencing. It works. So, just before bed have them take a teaspoon or more of honey and just swallow it...no water after. They cough much much less.

Hope this helps,
B. D.

my 6 month old daughter has been doing the same thing from 2 months old. The doctors office told me to use a humidifier (like you are already doing) and elivate her mattress at the head. Good luck!

Have you explored Asthma? That is usually an early sign of mild asthma.